Canucks Line Up for NHRA Pro Mod Opener
Canadian Teams head to Florida this weekend for NHRA Gatornationals….Maier, Commisso & Lang entered for GSA Pro Mod Eliminator…
By: Tim Miller & Bruce Biegler
Canada will be well-represented in the NHRA Get Screened American Pro Mod Series at the upcoming NHRA Gatornationals in Florida.
Ike Maier of Tottenham, Ontario, Raymond Commisso of Toronto, Ontario, and Ken Lang of Grand Pointe, Manitoba will all be making the trek to Gainesville for the second race in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour. The Pro Mod session at Gainesville will be the first of 10 such events at selected NHRA races this year.
- Kenny Lang will debut a major new season sponsor
“It should be interesting this year with the rules changes,” noted Maier, who will be driving his 1963 Corvette Pro Mod in conjunction with Kirk Silbermann. “The most important change is the reduction in the blower drive, and a lot of teams will be struggling to get the right combination.”
In December of 2010, the NHRA modified the supercharger overdrive requirements which are now set at 14.5 percent from the previous 20 percent.
Other changes to the Pro Mod class, which the NHRA has now embraced after treating it as a exhibition class for several years, include automatic transmissions in the cars (with a 75-pound weight reduction), and the use of automated/electric/pneumatic shifting devices. Commisso will be driving a ProCare RX 1968 Camaro, and former IHRA Pro Mod champion Lang is set to debut his all new Chevy Camaro which will receive primary sponsorship from Summit Racing Equipment.
Lang was the top finishing Canadian within the NHRA Get Screened America PM series last year. As an independent he drove his ’53 Corvette to a 6th place finish in final season points.
The Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals will be held March 10-13, and will be the 43rd annual event at the northern Florida track. Qualifying sessions for the Pro Mod class are scheduled for Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12, with eliminations Sunday March 13.
- Ike Maier’s ’63 Split…
( Bruce Biegler Photos)
